Opportunities for CO2 equivalent emissions reductions via flare and vent mitigation: A case study for Alberta, Canada

Global flaring and venting of gas associated with petroleum production is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions and airborne pollutants that has proven difficult to mitigate. This work examines the technical and economic potential for flaring and venting mitigation in a mature oil and gas producing region of the world. Using detailed monthly production data spanning the years 2002-2008 for 18,203 active production facilities, combined with geographic information system pipeline data, reservoir gas composition data, and cost data derived from industry sources, a case study was constructed to explore the technical and economic viability of further mitigation of flaring and venting associated with upstream oil and gas production in Alberta, Canada. Calculations were performed to evaluate the feasibility of mitigation via collection and compression of gas into pipelines to connect into existing pipeline networks. Four main calculation scenarios were considered, and for each, a series of Monte-Carlo analyses were performed to evaluate uncertainties and sensitivities to key calculation parameters. In all scenarios, the results reveal potentially significant opportunities for economically viable flare and vent mitigation that would yield substantial reductions in CO2 equivalent emissions. Because of the highly skewed distribution of gas volumes flared and vented at individual facilities, the results also show that solutions for comparatively small numbers of the largest facilities can offer large reductions in overall emissions from the sector. These results suggest that in a concerted effort to minimize carbon emissions in the upstream oil and gas industry, there is potential for significant near-term reductions using existing technology while research and development continues on more advanced methods such as carbon capture and storage. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.